You know I love George as much as the next guy for his key victories, his tragedy of Zaire and his comeback transformation but I don't romanticize him ... I know how absurd he often looked in his first career , wild and clumsy, and I know how he oh so carefully managed who he fought in his comeback ... I was rewatching a lot of his first career fights I get a kick out of .. Lyle, Agosto, Dennis, LeDoux and so many times he looks so amateurish you know he'd be nothing without his at the time huge strength and power advantages ... he makes me think of Jeffries who in his own day really used a similar skill set and advantages to dominate his own era .. curious if anyone else sees and similarities ..
I don't see it. Jeffries had a very good ability to adapt when things were going badly, including when injured, and often came on strong late. Jeffries had much less raw power and aggression.
Jim Jeffries was a strong heavyweight hitter. Not an explosive puncher like Louis or Tyson, but was a thudding slugger near the class of Liston or Foreman. Sir Henry Cooper said that he “had a punch that might have knocked out a horse.” But, Jeffries fought in an era where modern boxing had not developed. He also lacked Foreman’s underrated appalling speed and ring cutting ability. I think he was more like Ron Lyle and Cleveland Willams' ancestor.
Trying to work out what Jim Jeffries was, is literally like trying to work out, what a Tyrannosaurus rex was like when it was alive!
I think George Foreman was a great and legendary Champion, but he is sometimes glorified a little too much. What an unbelievable talent he was! He started late with boxing and he only had a short amateur career. He seemed to appear from nowhere and he suddenly became Olympic champion. I think his style was a bit rough and unpolished. He trusted to much into his outstanding punching power and was a bit overconfident. As he himself said, he almost believed, he could destroy the moon with one punch. Obviously, he knocked out Frazier and Norton, but Fraziers style was tailormade for him and Norton had problems with exceptional punchers. I think, this kind of overconfidence is one reason for the result of the "Rumble in the Jungle", when he lost to past prime, but slicker and more experienced Ali. He had also problems with crafty and awkward fighters like Young and Peralta. Against Lyle, he had almost no defence, has taken to many punches, was clumsy and lost almost by knockout. Okay, but nothing against Foreman. He was great, but in my opinion not so invincible. I think boxers like for example Louis, Liston or Holmes would have good chances against him. In terms of talent, he might be the best of all. For example, if he could combine his physical strenght and power from hist first career with his mental strenght, experience, and also better defence after his comeback. Maybe he could also be a more complete fighter, if he would have an awesome trainer. For example, Emanuel Stewart said once, that he would like to train him. Okay, but Stewart was probably to young in the 70s. About Jeffries: I don`t know. I heard, that he was more passive and took punches until his opponents were tired and afterwards he knocked them out.
Yes he did ,and how many of his major opponents were near his size or age? Choynski 167lbs goes 20 rds with Foreman? How about super middle Fitz 37 and 39,2 years out of the ring in both cases does he go 11 rds and 8 rds? Corbett 23 rds & 10rds?
This for me is the most salient post of the whole debate, and highlights Jeffries was an inferior fighter to Foreman. keep well.
Irrelevant to my point .. mine is neither was graceful, both often looked clumsy, flat out amateurish and won because they overpowered their opposition .. Foreman's whole first career was based on a stylistic match up w Frazier and the never beat a puncher Norton ... I think the Ali upset was insanely dramatic but that was because Foreman was so over rated coming into the fight ... I can image a dozen fighters from the 80's - 2000's I'd pick to defeat Foreman from the first career including the Foreman from the comeback.
I was saying that their power is not comparable and to illustrate this I asked you how many rounds Fitz,Choynski, and Corbett would go with Foreman? Jeffries systematically wore down his smaller ,and usually older opponents often after shipping considerable punishment . Foreman, once he found his range and began to land solidly usually took them out pretty emphatically. I think that is correct. I would agree Foreman was clumsy ,he may have been less polished than Jeffries even,but his get out of jail, tremendous power usually bailed him out and he didn't need to wear his foes down in a gradual war of attrition to do so as Jeff did.So their similarities are pretty facile. You didn't answer my question E ,well perhaps you will answer this one since you have rather invited it.Please name the dozen fighters from the 80's _ 2000's that beat a 1 st career Foreman?
Yes,I am waiting with bated breath the " Dozen Fighters " you believe would have beaten Foreman 1 over to you he grant.